Lisa Petrov and her brothers (Paul and Charles) live in Harrow,
with their parents. However, their family originally came from
Russia: Great-grandfather Serge and Great-grandmother Anna came
to England during the Russian Revolution.

Lisa's father is a works for a newspaper, and one day they tell
him that they are sending him to Moscow. Because Mother cannot
look after the two boys and Lisa on her own, Father decides to
let Lisa come with him, and stay with their relatives in Moscow.

In Moscow, Lisa stays with Cousin Sasha, his wife Tamara, and
the children Olga, Vassily, Oleg, Anna, Yuri, Grisha, Christina,
Ludmilla and Lydia. Grisha is the same age as Lisa, and they become
good friends. When Lisa's father has to go to Leningrad, he takes
Lisa and Grisha with him; and later the family also goes to Kiev.

Background

In 1960, Noel visited Russia for three weeks, to visit Russian
ballet schools. Unfortunately, she was given poor information
by Russian tourist officials, and

arrived in June when the schools had closed
for the summer. The trip was not a success. She tried to be
tolerant as, day after day, arrangements she thought she had
made were changed or muddled by the authorities, when food was
inedible, and the thin trickle of bath water was icy, but the
constant frustrations were exhausting. (Bull,
1984:231)

However, the trip was not wasted. Noel kept a diary while she
was there, and was able to draw on it and write "six articles
for The Elizabethan ... on Russian schools and young
people, two for the Nursery World about Russian baby
care, and ... Lisa Goes to Russia" (Bull,
1984:231).

Thoughts

(This section contains "spoilers" for those who have
not read the book.)

In Noel's best books, although we learn a great deal (about ballet,
tennis, filmmaking, etc), the story is nevertheless driven primarily
by the characters. As Noel said of White
Boots, "of course just skating by itself would not
make a book, so from the very beginning I had invented Lalla and
Harriet" (Radio Times article, cited in
Wilson, 1961:35). In
Lisa Goes to Russia the reverse seems to be the case.
The characters are flat and underdeveloped, and their main role
is to take us through a gallery of Russian cultural icons - a
children's festival, a wedding, the markets, the Bolshoi ballet,
the circus, and so on. However, this does not necessarily mean
that in this case Noel felt that Russia on its own would make
a book. Lisa Goes to Russia seems to be written for a
slightly younger audience (the main character is only nine years
old), and superficial characterisation does seem to be a feature
of other of Noel's books for younger readers, such as The
Grey Family and Bertram.

Although she occasionally tries to argue that the English way
is better, Lisa generally accepts and enjoys the different lifestyle
she experiences in Russia. She is far more accepting of its inconveniences
than Noel seems to have been - certainly, she is far more enthusiastic
about the food! However, as Nancy
Huse points out, "on the whole ... the book is decidedly
Anglocentric. Descriptions of crowded apartments, "ugly"
lamps, and slow travel reflect some of Streatfeild's disagreeable
experiences in the country" (1994:117). It does seem that
the reader is encouraged to take a somewhat superior attitude
towards the Russians. Grisha is presented as less open-minded
about other cultures than his cousin - "Inside, he had decided
English little girls were stupidly brought up" (Lisa
Goes to Russia, 1963:38-39) - and the gives the reader a
comfortable sense that they are more knowledgeable, and they have
a better way of life, than the Russians.

Editions and Availability

UK Editions

Lisa Goes to Russia was first published by Collins in
1963, with illustrations by Geraldine Spence. (I have found a
record of another 1963 Collins printing, with illustrations by
Anna Zinkeisen: however, this may be an error.)

US Editions

There does not seem to have been a US edition of Lisa Goes
to Russia.

Out of Print

Lisa Goes to Russia is out of print and very rare. In February 2004, the only second hand copy I can find listed
by an online bookseller costs around £100. (Source: Addall
Used and Out of Print Book Search.)